Dublin South Schools 2-14 St. Peter’s College 1-10
Not alone that, but the end margin of seven points made a complete mockery of the very tight exchanges that prevailed from the start to almost the finish of this highly-competitive Leinster Schools ‘A’ championship (Corn Uí Dhúill) quarter-final.
With the game entering its final minute, Dublin South were clinging to a 0-14 to 1-10 lead and there was a sense that extra-time might be required if the hosts could initiate one last fruitful attack.
The outcome hinged on a dangerous delivery into the goalmouth from visiting wing-back Colm McCabe.
Peter’s netminder Liam Kielthy and Dublin South corner-forward Hugh Egan went for it, and the sliotar deflected off the latter’s upper body in mid-air and ended up in the net.
Referee Gearóid McGrath wisely took his time and consulted with the umpires before the green flag was raised, and with that action all hope of advancing disappeared for the shattered St. Peter’s crew.
And there was more hardship to endure before the final whistle, as centre-forward Killian Costello sprayed a lovely ball into the path of Egan, who shook off Wally Kelly in a battle for possession.
The Dublin attacker mightn’t have known a great deal about the first goal registered to his name, but he was in full control of his actions this time around as he took his time before giving Liam Kielthy no chance.
St. Peter’s deserved a better outcome against a side that had utilised players from eleven different schools by the finish, but they bowed out with their heads held high after an impressive collective effort.
While they looked sluggish in the early stages – conceding the first three points inside four minutes to Dublin South captain Daniel O’Kelly (two, one free) and Killian Costello – an opportunist goal midway through the opening quarter settled any nerves and resulted in a nip-and-tuck affair all the way up to the 60th minute.
A long free from midfielder Jack Dunne was batted away, but only as far as Emmet Kennedy-Power – a talented attacker who impressed me immensely in Peter’s two championship engagements.
And he did the right thing in the circumstances, pulling first-time and finding the left corner of the net to bring the home team back to level terms (1-0 to 0-3).
Kennedy-Power added a point from a Dunne pass, before the latter doubled his side’s advantage in the 15th minute after intercepting an attempted Dublin South clearance.
That gap of two points only increased once before that fateful late first goal for the boys in blue, although they did wrestle back control by sending over five scores on the trot between the 17th and 23rd minute to turn the tables and move 0-8 to 1-2 clear.
Free-taker O’Kelly, tidy wing-back Tommy Cullen, Darragh Ormsby and O’Kelly (’65 and play) were responsible, with the latter placed-ball effort arriving after a miraculous close-range save from Liam Kielthy.
When full-forward Eoghan Brennan caught a Fiachra Codd delivery and bore down on the Summerhill Road-end posts, a green flag seemed inevitable.
However, Kielthy kept his eye on the sliotar and somehow turned it around his left post in a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that he was only deputising for the injured Martin Dempsey in the number one jersey, having featured at corner-forward in the victory against Coláiste Eoin in November.
That was the second of two occasions in the first-half when St. Peter’s survived a scare, after a strong tackle by full-back Corey Ryan in another one-on-one situation – when Eoghan Brennan caught Tommy Cullen’s centre – had saved the day in the 14th minute.
A painful blow endured by midfielder Rian Ormonde forced him to swap positions with county Minor Cathal Sinnott, who had missed the previous round himself owing to injury. The Glynn-Barntown lad had met a formidable opponent from the off in the outstanding Conor Quinn, with the Dublin South corner-back scarcely putting a foot wrong from start to finish and certainly getting my verdict for man of the match.
Trailing by 0-8 to 1-2 midway through the second quarter, St. Peter’s came good again in the lead-up to the break as they drew level after three points in succession.
Joe O’Leary’s effort – after a one-two with Cormac Simpson – arrived in between a brace of frees converted by Emmet Kennedy-Power, leaving it all to play for at half-time.
After an exchange of placed balls on the restart, Cathal Sinnott popped a handpass to wing-forward Ultan O’Reilly who edged Peter’s into a 1-7 to 0-9 lead in the 36th minute.
Daniel O’Kelly hit back from a free, but the encouraging shouts from the strong home support reached a crescendo when vice-captain Joshua Roche surged forward from right half-back, swapped passes with Jack Dunne, and split the posts for a rousing score that made it 1-8 to 0-10.
Dublin South enjoyed another brief but very effective purple patch, though, with captain O’Kelly sending over two frees before teeing up Eoghan Brennan to make it 0-13 to 1-8 with a strike from distance that just about cleared the crossbar.
Rian Ormonde availed of good work from Ultan O’Reilly and Joe O’Leary to narrow the gap to the minimum again in the 47th minute, and substitute Paddy Walsh was unfortunate not to get any power behind a shot before another O’Kelly free at the other end left Dublin South ahead by 0-14 to 1-9.
The last of just four Peter’s wides (compared to eight from their rivals) came from defender Rory Hearne after Emmet Kennedy-Power had earned and converted a free for their closing point in the 56th minute.
Anyone suggesting a seven-point final margin at that stage would have been laughed at, but Dublin South delivered the goods in the form of those goals and will now play Kilkenny CBS at a neutral venue in the penultimate round on the week beginning January 20.
St. Kieran’s (Kilkenny) await the outcome of the second quarter-final that has been re-fixed for the Fenians club ground in Johnstown this Wednesday at 2 p.m., with Good Counsel set to face the locals from Coláiste Mhuire after snow forced a postponement last week.
St. Peter’s College: Liam Kielthy (Shelmaliers); Jamie McDonald (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Corey Ryan (St. Anne’s), Rory Hearne (Shelmaliers); Joshua Roche (Shelmaliers, 0-1), Niall Furlong (Buffers Alley, capt.), Harry Murphy (Bannow-Ballymitty); Jack Dunne (Oulart-The Ballagh, 0-1), Rian Ormonde (Shelmaliers, 0-1); Ultan O’Reilly (Blackwater, 0-1), Emmet Kennedy-Power (Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s, 1-5, 0-4 frees), Cormac Simpson (St. Martin’s); Joe O’Leary (Shelmaliers, 0-1), Seán O’Leary (Shelmaliers), Cathal Sinnott (Glynn-Barntown). Subs. – Tadhg Rowe (Kilmore) for S. O’Leary (45), Paddy Walsh (St. Martin’s) for Simpson (47), Wally Kelly (Our Lady’s Island/St. Fintan’s) for McDonald (54), Bobby Crosbie (St. Martin’s) for O’Reilly (56), also Danny Scallan (Shelmaliers), Oscar Barry (St. Martin’s), Barry Whelan (Blackwater), Adam Connick (St. Martin’s), Jack Crotty (St. Martin’s), Ryan Murphy (Blackwater), Eoin Dodd (St. Martin’s), Robbie Byrne (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Kevin Redmond (Oulart-The Ballagh), Cillian Murphy (Blackwater), Jake Scallan (Kilmore), Aaron O’Sullivan (Bannow-Ballymitty), Adam Butler (Oulart-The Ballagh), Nick Lambert (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Páidí Murphy (Blackwater), Andy Byrne (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Tomás Kirwan (Glynn-Barntown), Bobby Rackard (Oylegate-Glenbrien), Jack Quigley (Clongeen), James Kavanagh (Buffers Alley), Seán Eustace (Clongeen), Josh McGuire-Duggan (St. Mary’s, Rosslare), Eoin Roche (Blackwater), Martin Dempsey (Oulart-The Ballagh, inj.), Eoin Mongan (Oulart-The Ballagh, inj.).
Dublin South: Conor Coogan (Oatlands College); Conor Quinn (Terenure College), James Neary (Blackrock College), Mark Byrne (Coláiste Cois Life); Colm McCabe (Templeogue College), James Norris (Terenure College), Tommy Cullen (St. Benildus College, 0-1); Fiachra Codd (Coláiste Éanna), Conor Dillon (Lucan CBS); Oscar Brennan (Adamstown CC), Killian Costello (Lucan CBS, 0-1), Daniel O’Kelly (Terenure College, capt., 0-10, 7 frees, 1 ’65); Darragh Ormsby (St. Colmcille’s CS, 0-1), Eoghan Brennan (Templeogue College, 0-1), Hugh Egan (Blackrock College, 2-0). Subs. – Odhran McGuckin (Catholic University School) for Ormsby (48), Callum Dee (Blackrock College) for O. Brennan (51), Victor Hennessy (St. Benildus College) for McCabe (60).
Referee: Gearóid McGrath (St. James’).
